


gate 13

by peachesncreamm



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 3rd person view, Airport scene, Banter, Christmas Holidays, First Meeting, Flirting, Flirty, Fluff, Fluffy, Height difference, Hugs, M/M, Oneshot, Pining, Power Outage, Rated teen for language, Semi Slow Burn, Snow Storm, Snowed In, Wholesome, as usual, because i refuse to write in 1st person, but sapnap is driving there, christmas themes in February, dream george and sapnap are all staying together, dream hates coffee, dream is a plant dad, dream sapnap and george all have their himbo moments, edit tags as I go, first meeting irl, himbos, i just thought that was funny, im sorry but him falling for dream was fun to write, im sorry i didnt mean to simp on main, inquisitive sapnap, it sucks shit, long hair dream supremacy, no beta we die like dream's two canon lives, no smut I’m uncomfy with that, okay shit here we go, please i fucking love writing sapnap and his lil cute ass, sapnap being a great wingman, sapnap can cook, short george lmao, shut up its fucking cute, so hes gonna be there later that night, soft moments, sorry george, sorry i suck at tagging its hard, sorry sapnap, sorry this isnt smp related, sorta christmas themed, written from george's perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29486889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachesncreamm/pseuds/peachesncreamm
Summary: Dream, Sapnap and George are meeting up for the holidays- but heres the thing. sapnap is driving from texas, so he's going to be arriving later tonight. george's flight just came in and hes hungry, tired, and doesnt even know what the person who is supposed to be picking up looks like.so when a handsome stranger is standing there nervously picking at his nails and watching the exit from gate 13, george doesnt know what to do with himself.no matter what he feels, no matter what he thinks. he will without a doubt blame it on the jet lag later.[EDIT 21.02.2021]the rest of the story has been planned, and is soon to be written. enjoy, lovelies. also thank you for 180 kudos and over 1500 hits, that means a lot :)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 259





	1. [baggage terminal]

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey! this is my first dnf fic lmao. im soft for airport scenes too so uh, have fun with this.
> 
> just a disclaimer! i dont ship the real people, just the internet personas they use when streaming sometimes! if any of the ccs find this one day and are uncomfortable with it, i will be more than happy to take it down.
> 
> now thats out of the way, happy reading!

A plane arrived at gate 13. The express flight from London straight to Miami cost George about nine hours of his time- what was supposed to be an eight-hour trip was delayed an hour before departure, and the additional 15 minutes was spent trying to get his carry-on bag through American airport security unscathed. Nearly every person coming off the flights wore masks for the duration of the trip even though it wasn’t really necessary anymore – including George himself – you could never be too safe. The COVID pandemic had long since passed, but old habits die hard, he guessed.

Exhaustion pulled at his eyelids the same way hunger gnawed at his stomach. The in-flight food was less than pleasant and his fruitless attempts at any sorts of sleep onboard the plane only reminded him of his constant hunger. But there was definitely something else in there, something George wasn’t sure how to explain. There was this twisting feeling, the sensation of his intestines moving about on their own. Of a million insects fluttering around in his stomach, moving about frantically and bumping into each other or the walls. There was also a slight shake to his knees that was not entirely noticeable to others, but George could definitely feel it. He might even say he felt sort of like throwing up.

He was meeting his best friend today. In person, finally. Technically he didn’t really know who he was looking for, because he had never actually seen his friend’s face. All he knew he was supposed to look for was someone who was tall and had somewhat blonde hair – which wasn’t much mind you. So, for information he was pretty much skint, and the tiredness really didn’t help retaining the little amount of patience he had left. Would he have a particular fashion sense that really stuck out, and would make him easily recognisable? Maybe he would dress casually and blend right in with the crowd?

Disregarding the nerves that dwelled deep within his gut, George knew he was excited. The three of them had been planning this trip for months and had agreed that both Sapnap and George would stay at Dream’s house for the Christmas holidays. Sapnap should be arriving today too, but he was driving from Texas to Florida and George guessed he was most likely arriving later that night. Dream had insisted that they stay for the month, so they would have time to enjoy Christmas as well as spend enough time together to feel somewhat fulfilled after all these years of empty promises to meet in person. The three were a powerful team, to say the least. Years of coding, streaming, storytelling, teasing - anything they did together was cherished in the best ways.

So, you can understand why it was a huge deal they were all finally seeing each other in person, then. George had seen Sapnap before, they had video chatted countless times. Both boys had seen his face too but Dream still remained faceless. It added to the thrill, the nerves, and the excitement, that’s for sure.

George brought his calloused hands to his face, rubbing at his eyes gently as he walked. One at a time he attempted to rub the tiredness away, only stopping once he saw stars and colourful shapes in the blackness. George allowed himself to stop and stretch his muscles - having finally found his baggage terminal – earning a loud pop came from one of the vertebrae in his back. He surveyed the area slowly, scanning the baggage claim from left to right, unsure of where Dream was supposed to meet him.

There were people gathered around, most waiting to pick up friends or family for the holidays ahead. Nearly everyone had found their person.

Except George, who couldn’t for the life of him decide if the handsome fellow in the Florida gators t-shirt who was staring at his phone in the corner of the room was Dream, or if it was someone else. He continued to scan the crowd slowly skipping past people who had already greeted the ones who came off the same plane.

There was one guy with a light grey hoodie, some black skinny jeans, a pair of shitty worn-out converse and a black baseball cap – which most of his hair was tucked underneath – with some tufts of sandy blonde poking out the sides in front of his ears. There was something tucked underneath his arm. He had a lean build and almost perfect posture, standing tall but letting himself relax the slightest bit. He looked nervous – staring blankly at the exit from the hallway that led to gates 5-13. George was pretty sure the guy to the left with the gators t-shirt was Dream, but that didn’t stop him from oogling at this stranger from where he stood. He was undeniably attractive from his build alone, and maybe if he had the time, he could ask for his number before he left.

Before George could look away and study who he thought to be Dream, the man he had let himself stare at for what was probably an uncomfortable amount of time came to his senses and began to look around. His piercing yellow eyes locked with George’s own.

Or maybe they were green. George couldn’t tell.

But what he could tell was that attractive person was looking right at him and giving him an overpowering smile. He didn’t know this man, did he?

The man reached for the item that was tucked underneath his arm, which turned out to be a sheet of posterboard about the size of an a4 piece of paper. It had something scrawled on it in thick, black letters:

_Mr. Notfound_

George’s smile matched Dreams. What a dork.

Dream walked forward, and George only had to take a few steps before they were within arm’s reach of each other.

“Excuse me, Mr Notfound – I’m supposed to escort you to your car today.” Dream spoke with an overly fake British accent, trying to hold in a giggle. George shoved him with his free hand, in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. He really hoped Dream didn’t notice George literally checking him out. If he had of known it was his best friend, he would definitely have kept those thoughts far away.

“Hi, Dream.’ George was able to get a good look at him now. Dream had a long, thin scar that ran across the bridge of his nose and caught the edge of his lip, disturbing the light freckles that rested on his entire face. His skin was what George had learned to be a light tanned colour, and even though he seemed a tad yellow he knew that he most likely had a sun-kissed complexion. His eyes, something that had startled George a few moments ago seemed like it had never happened. They were vibrant and true, looking at George in some way he wasn’t sure how to describe. He wore a sweet smile, slightly marred by the end of the scar that finished on his upper lip, but a sweet smile nonetheless. It was a smile that told a million stories of kindness and compassion. Dream’s hair wasn’t technically blonde, but it wasn’t really brown either. It was kind of hard to describe, it looked slightly ruffled and was sticking out in many places from underneath the cap, and now George was close enough to notice the rest of it tied in a short ponytail behind Dream’s head. So this is what he meant when he said he was overdue for a haircut.

George let his eyes wander down, settling on studying his hands. They were large and bulky, with shortened fingernails that looked like they had been bitten from either nerves or boredom. The hoodie dream was wearing – although tastefully blank – was just a tad too big for him. Not that George was complaining; it made him appear soft and… _gentle_? Maybe the lack of sleep was getting to him. There was no way someone who was supposed to be his friend was making him feel like this. Snap out of it, George.

He tore his gaze away, glancing at the floor quickly before returning his attention to Dream’s face. He opened his mouth to say something, to start a conversation as a distraction. Anything. But Dream beat him to it.

“Wow. I didn’t expect the first thing for you to do was to check me out. Am I prettier than you thought I’d be? You practically couldn’t keep your eyes to yourself over there.”

“It’s just different seeing you in person.” George shrugged.

Dream smiled once more.

“I could say the same for you.”

_No no no fuck why did he sound so genuine oh fuck oh god-_

There was a pause, a silence that seemed to last for ten years. It made George antsy, he just wanted to sleep and eat a McChicken or something. He really wanted a hug, too. But he wasn’t really sure how comfortable Dream would be with hugs. Technically they had known each other for a long time and he knew he was okay with hugs, but he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable on the first day they saw each other in the physical world. Eh, whatever. It was worth a shot.

“May I hug you-?”

“Can I hug you?”

They had both spoken at the same time. Dream and George both laughed, any tension in the atmosphere dissolving into pleasant humour from doing such a cliché thing. Dream sounded like he might be hiding an entire tea kettle inside his throat and George- well George sounded like a normal human being, not a kitchen appliance. He nodded at Dream as a sign of permission for the hug, opening his arms while trying to get a hold of the laugh that was slowly dying in his throat. Dream seemed to get a hold on himself too because he cleared his throat shortly, a smile settling on his features as he bent down to place the little cardboard sign on the floor by his feet so he could hug his friend.

The embrace was warm, and pleasant. George wrapped his arms around Dream’s middle, their difference in heights making them both fit together almost perfectly. He felt Dream’s arms find their way around his shoulders, one of his hands resting on his shoulder blade and the other one gently slipping into his short, brown hair. His hand was cradling the back of George’s head comfortingly and the two shared a pleasant silence. A long, satisfied sigh left George as the realisation washed over him; he was in his best friend’s arms. Finally.

He can feel Dream’s heartbeat through his hoodie.

Something about being able to feel him, to be able to touch him and hold him in his arms was just so surreal to George. It was like it took all his emotions and threw them all over the floor, only to be picked up in the wrong order. Something inside him shifted- and George knew things would never be the same as they were before. He felt it as soon as he saw him. But he would deal with that later, for now wasn’t the time to revaluate his decisions- he was way too tired for that.

Now, the only issue he had was physically letting go of Dream right now. George knew for a fact that Dream would always be the last to let go when hugging someone, he’d said it countless times- so with an internal sigh of disappointment George managed to tear himself away from his friend long enough to look him in the eyes.

“Let’s get you home, hm? Sapnap is arriving later tonight so you have some time to sleep until then.”

“Sounds good. Im exhausted, honestly.” George laughed, picking up the sign from near Dream’s worn out shoes and tucking it under his arm. “I do have to pick up my bags though.”

“Right, yeah. After that I mean.”

They stood and waited for about ten minutes before the bags started to roll through on the conveyor. It was pleasant, nothing but a quiet conversation on the way to the car as Dream insisted on carrying George’s bags.

George fell asleep in the car on the drive from Miami to Orlando.


	2. [aisle four]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george, sapnap and dream get settled into the holiday routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS FIC
> 
> i know its not tuesday when im posting this (im planning to post on tuesdays) but i finished this chapter and im so excited!! technically this was supposed to be a oneshot but three people said they would want more so i decided to expand the story to six chapters! if i do finish this it will be my first completed multi chap after being a writer for three years lmfao.
> 
> im not sure if my upload schedule will work bc i do in fact have school work to do and i dont often have too much time to write, so if i start posting things randomly i do apologise haha
> 
> but yeah! enjoy the fic!

George’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of car keys being taken out of the ignition. He glanced around slowly, blinking to clear the blurry spots and colourless shapes that swarmed his vision. His neck screamed in protest to the awkward sleeping position, and he lifted a hand groggily to rub at it. His mouth tasted of stale chewing gum, the piece he had been chewing for hours on the plane having lost all elasticity from lack of use. He chewed it absentmindedly, still trying to make sense of his surroundings as he attempted to return the gum to its previous texture. He knew he should throw it out soon enough, but he wasn’t sure when he was getting out of the car or if there would be a bin where he was going. Where was he going again?

Wait, who was sitting next to him?

“Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Oh. _Oh._ That made sense. George turned to the familiar voice, smiling tiredly at his friend. The memories of standing at the baggage terminal with Dream flooded back, as did the excitement of being in the physical company of his best friend. Dream was smiling back at him, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a pair of keys he had just retrieved from the car. George mouthed a ‘hi’, not quite being able to find his voice properly. Dream replied with a breathy giggle, then turned to get out of the car. George turned sat up properly to do the same, facing the door and lifting his hand to unlock it- but before he had the chance to even touch the sleek interior, his friend had already circled the car and tugged the door open from the outside.

“Wow, what a gentleman.” George’s voice was hoarse and crackled slightly as he spoke. He cleared his throat quietly afterward, not wanting to acknowledge the voice crack he hoped he had imagined. If it did happen Dream didn’t mention it.

It was cold as fuck outside. George really hadn’t anticipated the winter to be quite so chilly after hearing all the complaints and protests from Dream about Florida’s iconic hot weather – but in hindsight if he knew it was going to be snowing when he arrived, he probably should’ve worn a thicker coat over his hoodie.

The weather bit at his fingers and the tip of his nose, an instant wakeup call in comparison to the car’s heating.

Dream’s house was modest, a quaint little building with ivy growing up the bricked walls. The garden was kept neat and proper - how exactly it did that escaped George, because there was no way he could even _imagine_ Dream with a pair of gardening gloves pulling weeds out of the cracks in the pavement - and the pathway to the front door that ran along the side of the driveway was littered with potted plants. It was a two-storey house, with a dark brick exterior that really felt like home. The roof was coated in a thin layer of snow, which really added to the homey feeling. George was taken aback to say the least – this wasn’t the style of building he would have thought Dream would have owned, that was for sure.

“You know maybe if you stop criticising the outside of my house, you’ll actually get to see the inside before you fly back to London.” Dream had appeared on the path that lead to the front door with his hands resting on the handle of George’s roller suitcase. Despite his remark he was smiling, and from what George could see he was also carrying his backpack.

“It’s a nice house. Not what I was expecting from you at all, but its very quaint,” he started, deciding it was a good idea to stop standing in the cold and make his way toward the front door with Dream. “I like the plants.” He added, not quite sure how to not sound awkward in this situation. . Dream didn’t seem to notice, instead crouching next to one of the potted plants and gingerly lifting one of the wilting leaves with a finger. 

“I feel bad, they really struggle in the cold. But theres not enough room inside for all of them to be kept at a regular temperature,” Dream muttered sorrowfully, brushing some of the snow that had accumulated on the edges of the pot onto the ground beneath it. “Once the winter clears up ill be the first to nurse them back to health.” He admitted proudly, standing up from his crouching position and resuming his hold on George’s suitcase.

He lead George inside, making quick work of showing him around the house and to where he would be sleeping in the guest room down the hall. He even carried his suitcase up the stairs, despite George’s insistence on doing so himself. Dream gave George some time to settle in, promising to wake him up when Sapnap arrived.

* * *

“Hey,”

“Mmmh, five more minutes…”

“Sapnap is arriving in five minutes. Don’t you want to say hello to him when he arrives?”

“Snapchat isn’ person, don wanna say hello,”

“Come on George.” Waking up to Dream’s feather light touches and hushed voice was something George would never ever forget. He was gentle – as if he didn’t want to disturb George too much. Maybe he should pretend to be asleep for a bit longer and he could hear that delicate tone once more.

He knew he should get up, though.

George groaned dramatically as he opened his eyes, quickly squinting at the light that assaulted him from the window behind his line of sight.

“Don’t make me carry you.” Dream warned.

“Alright, alright im up- you’re such a pain in the ass.” Would that really be such a bad thing for Dream to carry him? Hold him in his arms, pull him in so they were in each other’s personal space? Hands just delicately tracing the muscles in Dreams arms as he held him close… wait. _No, no- snap out of it George_. _Yes, yes it would._ God, that jet lag was worse than he thought. George shook himself awake, rising to sit up at the end of his bed, then to stand.

He fixed his hair by half-heartedly running his fingers hastily through brown locks in a pathetic attempt to keep the dishevelled hair down. Once he had fixed it as much as he could, he joined Dream at the front door, kneeling down to put on the boots he had worn on his way here. George was still only wearing his hoodie from earlier in the day – he knew he would only be outside for a moment - so he wasn’t worried about getting an extra coat from his suitcase upstairs. Slender fingers finished the bow he was tying into his laces and George stood up. He flashed a smile to Dream, who 

Just as expected, a couple of minutes passed before a sleek, white car pulled into the driveway the two of them had arrived in earlier – however Dream’s car wasn’t there anymore, he must’ve moved it to the garage while George was asleep. Sapnap emerged from the front seat, looking tired from the long drive and lack of sleep (but hey, George wasn’t judging. He had barely had any sleep too.) but excited all the same. He beamed, opening his arms for a hug as soon as he saw Dream and George standing on the pavement leading to the front door. George smiled too, laughing through his nose as he threw his arms around his friend before Dream could.

“Hey, Sap. Its good to see you.” George’s lips were cold.

"It’s great to see you too! I really thought you’d be shorter in person.” That earned a shove from George. A playful shove, but a shove, nonetheless. Dream and Sapnap exchanged a hug too, but it seemed different. They had met in person before, and even if it was a long time ago, it was different. It was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years.

“Christ, you need a haircut.” Sapnap mused, circling around Dream to pull teasingly at his ponytail.

“Sapnap, I’m warning you-”

“Can you two do this inside, maybe?” George was _freezing._ A tasteful navy-blue hoodie was alright for a couple of minutes out in the snow, but he had already been standing there way too long. His fingers were numb inside his pockets, and the cold had bitten ruthlessly at his now red nose. His ears were beginning to turn pink at the tips, the rest of his face becoming paler than he already was. He made the extra effort to supress a shudder of discomfort as the two boys looked at him for a moment.

Before he could protest in literally any way, a weight settled itself on his shoulders- literally. Dream’s coat was heavy, and it smelled of stale cologne and vanilla. It was a windbreaker with a fleece inside and it didn’t have a hood. The collar of the garment shielded majority of George’s neck from any wind that might come, and as he slipped his arms into the sleeves, he considered not giving it back to Dream at all. It was impossibly warm inside, instantly soothing the constant need to shiver. George revelled in it- the warmth, the smells, the weight of it. His fingers found the cuffs of the sleeves – which were too big and were longer than his actual arms, mind you – just poking out from inside enough in case he needed dexterity. He looked up at Dream as he zipped up the jacket.

“Dream, you didn’t have to-”

“No, its fine. It was getting a little hot in there anyway.” He laughed, effectively cutting George off. Dream was smiling warmly like he had nearly every time he interacted with either of the boys today. He seemed proud of himself, and Sapnap looked like he had the most life changing epiphany.

George decided to ask about that later.

The next fifteen minutes was spent trying to hoist Sapnap’s bag out of the boot of his car and get it to the upstairs spare room where George’s bags were. Apparently Dream only had the one bed in the guest room, so they were going to have to take turns sleeping on the couch. Even though it was no doubt a pain in the ass, George knew it was only fair and that he most likely wouldn’t mind the couch anyway. Dream took the time to show Sapnap around the same way he had done for him. George let himself run over the list of any errands he might be able to run while they were talking, but the only thing he could think of was doing the grocery shopping for the oncoming week. He knew the three boys would be staying together for the month, but as far as he could tell there was definitely the need for a shopping trip.

“Hey, I might pop down to the store and get some food for the week.”

“I mean- we’re pretty much done here so if Sap isn’t too tired I’m sure we could tag along.”

“Yeah, I’d be down. Gotta make sure you two don’t eat instant noodles all week.” Sapnap yawned and placed his intertwined hands out in front of himself to crack his knuckles. “Plus, I don’t even think you would know what side of the road to drive on.”

George fumed silently, mumbling something along the lines of ‘yeah whatever’ as he moved toward the door once more.

The car trip was actually rather short, and before he knew it the three of them were at the supermarket. Dream drove the cart through the aisles, grabbing random items from the microwave meals sections and placing them in the cart. Sapnap seemed to be creating a list in his head, walking absentmindedly next to Dream and the cart full of instant noodles and mac n cheese. George stuck rather close to the two, chewing another piece of gum he had fished out of his backpack before going to see Sapnap when he arrived. They moved through the aisles of the store, picking different foodstuffs up from different places.

“Alright so I am planning to make a spag bol at some point, if you guys could get me onions, choose some tomatoes from the produce aisle, that would be great. I’ll get the rest.” Sapnap stated rather plainly, talking as if he hadn’t just asked a favour from the two but rather spouted off a fun fact.

“Pssh- what do I look like, your dad? Go get it yourself, Sapass.” George knew that tone. Dream was feeling cocky.

“Dream, I’ll literally smack you with this cantaloupe if you call me Sapass again.” And there was the classic Sapnap witty rebuttal. Iconic.

About ten minutes passed before the three of them found themselves in the confectionary section, not really paying any attention to the sweets on the shelves. George found himself looking for the purple (of course to him it was blue, but he knew it was supposed to be purple.) wrappers of the Cadbury chocolate bars, and upon finding none had to remind himself he was in the USA. He eyed the Hershey’s bars and their foreign colouring, picking one up in his hands to inspect it.

He didn’t get much time to look at it before Sapnap had taken it from him and was holding it above his head. George shot him a deadpanned look, because he could technically just reach for it and he’d be able to grab it. he wasn’t that short, damnit. That didn’t stop him from lazily reaching his arm up to snatch the chocolate away, but the two had attracted the attention of Dream, who seemed to think this was the peak of comedy.

Dream took the chocolate bar from Sapnap and held it out to George with the same soft smile from the airport. That smile was going to be the death of him. George thanked him and attempted to grab the candy back, but once again it was pulled away from him at the last minute. The only real problem was that now he _actually_ couldn’t reach it, and he knew if he tried it would never work, so why embarrass himself for no reason?

He shot a glare in Dream’s direction this time, clearly annoyed with the situation and wanting to be done with it. Dream’s laugh was contagious, however, and caused a smile to tug at the corners of George’s lips. Sapnap was already a cackling mess behind him, and Dream sounded like he might deflate. So George just acted annoyed, when he really was happy to be in the company of his two best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah second chapter done!
> 
> i really hope you like where its going so far. ive got everything planned but actually writing it takes a lot of time unfortunately,,
> 
> comments, kudos and bookmarks are appreciated! also, thanks for 700 reads as of writing this haha, you guys are nuts.
> 
> lots of love,  
> peachesncreamm


	3. [hot cocoa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some bad luck and poor timing traps the three boys inside for a little while. chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey. im not too happy with the style of writing in this chapter because i feel like its getting shittier and i dont want to disappoint anyone, but i wasnt sure how else to write it. either way i hope you guys end up liking the content at least haha
> 
> happy reading :)

There were quiet clinks of cutlery on tableware and hushed taking when George woke. He had spent the night in the spare bed upstairs, having called dibs on It when they returned home from the shopping trip. He stretched slowly, and pulled himself out of bed, not bothering to fix his hair or appearance in any way.

A yawn pulled at his mouth as he made his way down the stairs. He subconsciously made his way toward the noise, in turn leading him to the kitchen. Upon entering, he saw Sapnap sitting at the island in the middle of the room with a warm mug of what seemed to be coffee in his hands, and Dream had just placed a fork down onto his empty plate. His hair was wild and out of place, falling in front of his eyes in places, and flowing down the back of his neck. It was the first time George had seen it when it wasn’t tied up by an hair band. He ignored the way it made his stomach flip. Dream reached for his own mug and took a sip of what was inside – presumably hot chocolate, because George and Sapnap knew how much he hated coffee - about to continue his quiet conversation with Sap. But he must’ve seen George standing there, because he placed his mug down very quickly and turned to face him.  
  
“Morning,” He managed out, voice crackling from lack of proper use. Dream smiled in response.

“Hey. Did you sleep alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. What time is it?”

“Around noon.” Sapnap interjected, glancing up at the analogue clock on the wall above the sink. He took a sip of his coffee contently. Sapnap looked like he had slept well too, his black hair messy and falling in front of his eye line. He didn’t seem too bothered by it. “You slept for a while, but we didn’t really want to wake you. There’s an omelette in the pan on the stove, should still be warm if you want it.”

George hummed in response, heading over to the stove to grab himself a slice for breakfast. He sat down at the island next to Sapnap, digging his fork into the omelette and taking a bite, and complimenting Sap’s cooking insistently after swallowing. Sapnap nodded as a thank you, seeming to try and stay humble, but George could tell he was glowing with pride. You can’t exactly taste something from halfway across the world, after all.

The thing is, the three of them had planned a day to themselves, to catch up on sleep while they could before they had any day trips planned. Tomorrow they were supposed to drive to Disneyland and spend the day there, just so they could mess around like they had always wanted to all those years. And even if they didn’t have anything planned for today, going outside might’ve been nice.

So, when George opened the front door to a layer of snow as tall as his waist, you can understand why he fucking panicked.

“Oh god. Oh my god,” He brought his hand to his mouth in disbelief, not believing what was right in front of him. There was no way he was awake right now. “we’re fucking snowed in, I-”

“You’ve got to be kidding me-!” Sapnap rounded the corner, coming to look at the front door and the pile of snow in front of it. it covered the whole front yard, and only tips of the struggling plants were poking above the clean, white sheets.

“That doesn’t make any sense, the storm was supposed to hit after Christmas this year- on Christmas at the very earliest.” Dream’s voice was far away, he must’ve been in the kitchen. He emerged from the hallway with his hands rubbing furiously at his face. “How much did it snow?”

There was a pause as Sapnap swallowed nervously.

“I’d say about waist height.”

“Fuuuuuck.” Dream had appeared at the front door next to George and Sap now, overdramatically sighing as he peered out into the snow outside. He didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face told George all that he needed to know. He was worried his plants wouldn’t make it through the cold and that he wouldn’t be able to save them after this unwanted snow.

“Hey, its okay. I’m sure they’re fine under all that. You just have to have faith in them.” He brought a hand to Dream’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, figuring it wouldn’t do much but trying anyway. Dream nodded understandingly while keeping his gaze focussed on outside.

“I hope so.”

“I guess we’d better get comfortable here, because by the looks of it that’s not going down for a couple of days.” Sapnap didn’t sound happy, to say the least. He had been hyping the other two up about driving to Disneyland for weeks, and now they had to postpone. “We’re gamers, we can handle staying inside for a couple days, right?” Come to think of it, Sapnap had been really excited for this holiday. He had been the one to propose the idea in the first place, and even though Dream offered to host the two at his house, Sapnap had planned everything ahead of time. He organised flights, researched things to do together, places to go and eat, everything. Without Sapnap the two would have been hopeless at getting everything sorted on time, so George understood why he must’ve sounded so down about having to postpone Disneyland for a few days at the least.

He nodded in response, not really feeling like there was much else to say about it for now. As George excused himself to the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Dream leaning against the doorframe and staring into the sparkling white abyss that lay outside. He figured he should leave him be for now, and maybe they could talk about it later.

George mulled over what Sapnap had said before as he entered the kitchen and began to make himself a coffee. All three of them literally stayed inside for a living, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to wait it out until the snow melted, right?

As it turned out, it would be a whole heap of trouble. Trying to keep these two contained for a couple more days was going to be difficult as fuck. It had only been a few hours since the three of them discovered their snow predicament, and George was feeling a little tired from lack of doing anything. He figured taking a nap might make him feel better for now and technically he had a couple of days to catch up on sleep and get used to America’s time zone.

But when he poked his head out of the kitchen to make his way down the hall and up the stairs, something seemed off. He heard heavy footsteps upstairs, like someone might be carrying something heavy. George frowned, walking toward the bottom of the staircase.

Dream and Sapnap were sitting at the top of the stairs, on top of a set of two foam mattresses that had been stacked. They were giggling like fourth graders, Sapnap clutching the edge in front of him. Patches was also sitting on top of the mattresses, in between the two boys with her paws neatly tucked underneath her stomach. Even she seemed excited for what they were about to do.

George, however, was panicking once again. There was no way his friends who were _adults_ were about to slide down the staircase on a mattress.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” He shouted upward, making sure to sound slightly annoyed.

“Mattress slideee!” Dream shrieked, giving the signal for Sapnap to help push them both down the stairs. The pair laughed uncontrollably, and George felt sick. He had a bad feeling about this, averting his eyes just in case he saw something he didn’t want to see.

No, he was most definitely not looking away because he might’ve seen how happy Dream looked up there. Shut up.

_Thud._

Yeah, he figured that was going to happen. Sapnap and a very shaken looking Patches arrived at the bottom of the stairs, but Dream’s foot had gotten caught on one of the stairs as he pushed the mattress and he had face planted into the hand railing as Sapnap and Patches slid by dangerously fast. George would have laughed at the situation in a very condescending ‘I told you so’ manner, only if Dream’s nose wasn’t bleeding all over his hoodie and onto his hands. He was smiling in a pained way, using his hands as a feeble attempt of stopping the bleeding.

George shot him a look.

He nodded and walked up the stairs to the bathroom.

Thoughts raced by in George’s head to berate Sap for participating in something so dangerous, but before he could, Sapnap watched Dream disappear up the stairs. He mouthed a ‘sorry’ in George’s direction and anything he had to say died in his throat.

“I’m not done with you, but I’m going to see if he’s okay. Are you hurt?”

“No no, im fine.” Sapnap dismissed him, waving his hand toward the direction Dream had left. George took that as an invitation to leave and made his way up the stairs. When he arrived at the bathroom door, he knocked gently even though it was already wide open. Dream was sitting on the edge of the bath with tissues shoved against his face. He sighed loudly as George entered the room.

“Hey.”

“Don’t talk to me, I’m mad at you.”

“Woah, alright. What did I do this time?”

“You know very well what you did.” George stepped forward, snatching the tissue box from Dream’s hands as he sat down next to him on the edge of the bathtub. There was a moment of silence as he let his gaze settle on the front of the bloodied hoodie Dream was wearing. He pressed the now soiled tissue to his nose and moved his free hand to reach for another one from the box on George’s lap. George snatched the box away, earning a scoff from the other. He pulled a tissue out of the box himself, using one hand to fold it in half and then half again so he could bring it up to Dream’s nose. He used his free hand to gently tap Dream’s occupied hand, a silent suggestion to move it out of the way. He did so, moving his hand away from his face and dropping the tissue into the waste basket he had brought to sit beneath him earlier.

George felt his brows knit together as he focussed on wiping away the dwindling stream of blood from his best friend’s nose. He knew he should be mad about them both doing such a reckless, stupid thing, but he couldn’t bring himself to scold him. Instead, he settled on ignoring the feeling that was settling low in his gut. When he had walked in and seen Dream sitting on the bathtub- slightly pained but still bright, his stupid face and those stupid freckles, that dumb scar he wanted to just run his fingers along, muttering soothing words and sweet nothings. But he didn’t. He only allowed himself to help Dream quietly. That was all he was doing.

After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence and the blood finally coming to a stop, George dropped the last of the used tissues into the trash can. He plucked another clean white sheet from the box, dabbing it in some water from the tap and folding it for extra strength. He then tapped Dream’s shoulder.

“Off, please.”

“Excuse me?”

“Take your hoodie off.”

Dream seemed to think for a moment, but he quickly complied by pulling the stained garment over his head. As he lifted the hoodie up, it must’ve caught on his shirt and had pulled that up too. George looked away for a second but felt his eyes travel right back to his friend, who’s lower torso was exposed for _just long enough_. His stomach was unfortunately just as perfect as George had expected it to be, with freckles dusting his sides and a long, thin scar that marred the skin just below his belly button, and it seemed to wrap around his back from what George could see. He forced his eyes to the ground, going over what could have possibly caused a scar like that. And the one on his face, for that matter. Maybe he should just ask? But that might be awkward, and he was supposed to be mad right now… _screw it._ He thought to himself.

“Why do you have scars, Dream?” His voice came out softer than he had intended it. Dream had tossed his discarded hoodie across the room, turning back to face George. He looked a little startled by the question, but started talking nonetheless.

“I mean- everyone has scars, I guess.” He started, pausing as George started to wipe his face with the damp tissue gently around the bruising on his nose. “I think this one was from when I was a kid, me and an old friend were messing around with sticks and stuff pretending they were swords. We got a little too into it and he slipped, and that sort of just appeared. It wasn’t really a bad scratch either, it only bled for a moment.” George threw the last tissue in the bin and placed his hands in his lap as he listened.

“And the one on your face…?”

“I was about- maybe fifteen. I got in a fight with some kid at school. I cant remember what it was about, so it mustn’t have been that important, but he decided to play dirty and whipped out a broken ruler. Like, the little clear plastic ones that had been snapped or something. Struck me right across the face with it, and I’m pretty sure he got suspended.” He laughed half-heartedly through his nose at the memory. And before George could even process what was happening, he had lifted his hand to gently brush his thumb against the scar along his nose. The rest of his hand found Dream’s cheek, surprised with the scruffy texture of his jawline. He swore he was imagining things when he felt him lean ever so slightly into the touch.

“George-”

But before either of them could say anything, the lights shut off.

_oh shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and theres the end of chapter 3! it was supposed to be a lot smaller but i decided to add a little soft scene at the end to extend it to my usual word length lol.
> 
> comments, kudos and bookmarks are all appreciated :)
> 
> thank you for all the support so far!


	4. [embers]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the power is out, the temperature is dropping, and the three of them are trying their best to not freeze to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol sorry for the delay on this chap fellas. ive been super busy with a bunch of random shit at school, plus me and some friends are building an SMP AHSJHAJS
> 
> its called soup smp and we will be streaming/uploading stuff on youtube and twitch when it starts! ill make sure to let you guys know what happens with it if yall are interested ;))

"What if we cuddled for warmth?" George mused. Sapnap laughed at the idea, but the expression on George's pale face was serious. _Dead serious._

“Wait, you're not joking?” Sapnap managed out, swallowing thickly at the glare George was currently sending him. He laughed nervously once more. “I mean I’m down to cuddle if you are but I didn’t think you’d ask so soon.” He flashed a smile, snapping out of whatever awkwardness he had created earlier and giving George a suggestive wink. That’s when George knew he took the joke too far, and he sat up from where he was slouched on the sofa.

“No, no, no- I’m done, I was joking.” He shoved his hands into his pockets once more, hoping for some extra warmth.

“But Georgie poo-” Sapnap drew out the last two words painfully slow and it made George’s skin crawl. He took the pillow that was next to him and whacked Sapnap with it, and when he replied with a surprised yelp George pressed the pillow into his face roughly in a joking attempt to smother him with it.

  
“NO-”

The temperature throughout the house had plummeted overnight. After the two boys had been left in the dark in the bathroom, they had gone to find Sapnap with their phones being the only light they had. The rest of the night was spent in darkness, and when they woke up the house was bright again – thanks to outside – but nothing worked. The thermostat wasn’t an option, and the fireplace was disappointingly empty. Dream had left about half an hour ago to collect some wood from the pile of split logs he claimed to have behind the house. They both knew that it would most likely take him forever to get there, with the amount of snow that was still outside, however. Sapnap and George had been struggling all morning, both of them digging through their luggage to find something warmer to wear, while Dream did the same from inside his wardrobe.

The heat wasn’t really something George liked, so when he had organised with the other two to come over in winter he was really hoping for cold weather. He must’ve hoped too hard, because right about now all he wanted was for a Floridian heat wave to wash by so he wouldn’t be freezing his ass off. But at least he wasn’t freezing his ass off alone, both of his best friends were just as cold as him and they weren’t very happy about it either. When the power had gone out the three of them were worried about the food in the fridge going bad, but they quickly realised that with the house’s limited warmth it wasn’t really going anywhere anytime soon. This storm was a freak of nature. Apparently, the snowstorms Dream had mentioned before only got cold enough to dust the ground lightly with the stuff, becoming sludgy and wet the next day. What bad luck. Sure, he’d been to colder places, but he had at least had the thermostat working inside to return to.

George looked around the mostly empty room, Sapnap having disappeared into the kitchen a couple of minutes before. A shaky breath escaped his nose. A blanket would be nice right about now.

The door unlocked and a very cold, very pale Dream stumbled inside. He looked absolutely freezing, his coat zipped all the way up to his chin and a scarf covering his nose and mouth from underneath the hoodie. He carried two arms full of large wooden chunks, tracking snow inside with his thick boots as he headed toward the fireplace to set them down. George’s eyes followed the man across the room, and they certainly didn’t leave when he was taking his hoodie off and rubbing his gloved hands together for warmth. Sapnap emerged from the kitchen with three drinks in his hands. He handed one to Dream and motioned for George to come and get his.

Groaning dramatically, George picked himself up off of the couch and walked toward the other two to take the mug from Sapnap’s hands. He muttered a thank you and took a sip of the chocolatey drink. It was a hot cocoa, but with lack of electricity it was cold. So, it was more like chocolate milk. His eyes returned to Dream once more, settling on his dark eyelashes that were speckled with white snowflakes from being outside. His face was reasonably pale, all the colour moving to his nose to make him appear even colder. His lips were red and bitten, and they turned up into a slight smile whenever he spoke. _What a beautiful, beautiful human being._

Dream took a sip of his drink and snickered to himself.

“Bro, these are cold.”

That snapped George out of whatever daydream he was having. He internally panicked hoping that neither of them had seen him staring.

“What did you expect him to do? Boil the kettle? There’s no electricity, you prick.” Admittedly it wasn’t the kindest response, but complete lack of awareness of anything other than Dream’s pretty face kind of spooked him.

“Wow, okay, someone woke up on the wrong side of the hemisphere this morning.” George shot him a look. _Very funny. Very funny joke._ George used his free hand to shove Dream lightly, enough to be felt but not enough to make him stumble and spill his drink on the floor. He could feel Sapnap’s eyes on him, boring into the side of his head. He turned to face Sap briefly, but as he did, he looked away almost immediately. Weird.

Dream had set his drink down and made quick work of stacking some wood into the ashy pit of the fireplace, screwing up some newspaper he had found and stuffing it underneath the small pile he had created. He informed them that the wood was most likely slightly wet, which would mean it would take longer to light the fire. But George wasn’t really listening, to be honest. He sort of zoned out, staring blankly at the way Dream used his hands to explain things when he talked. Had he always done that? Sat behind a computer and used his hands to explain something even though no one could see it? Did he struggle to keep his hands on the keyboard when he was talking to his stream chat? He wondered how those hands might feel up close. If they were calloused like his own, worn from years of working on the garden outside. And had those logs been bought split, or maybe Dream had gone out and cut them himself- George felt himself heat up ever so slightly at the image of Dream swinging an axe on a hot Saturday afternoon, the Floridian heat combined with the workload making him sweat just enough to take his shirt off-

_No, that’s enough, George. Stop._

He shifted his gaze to the hallway that led to the kitchen, where they had all been standing moments prior. George had resumed his position on the couch from before, stuffing his hands in his pockets and deciding that the wall was a very interesting place to study.

Before long the fire was lit, and George had dragged a bunch of pillows from the couch in front of the fireplace so the three could sit by it together and get the much-needed warmth they desired. He sat in the middle of Sapnap and Dream, all three of them deciding to place their mugs (that were still full, mind you) at the edge of the fire to warm them up too. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sapnap shivering, wrapping his arms around himself to keep any sort of body warmth he could manage.

Dream stood up and left the room, leaving his mug and his friends by the fire. George turned back to Sapnap, placing his hand on the other’s shuddering arm to steady him.  
  
“Are you holding up alright?”

“I should be fine, just give me a couple of minutes.”

“Okay. Maybe you should move a little closer?”

Sapnap opened his mouth to argue, but Dream’s return from wherever he had gone shut him up quickly. Dream was carrying an armful of blankets, using one hand to separate the three thick sheets of fabric.

“Oh, it’s so kind of you to finally bring us blankets, Dream.” Sapnap said sarcastically, holding his arms out to accept one. Dream scoffed with mock hurt and threw the blanket at Sapnap from where he stood, earning a surprised ‘mpHh-!’ and a dirty look as he shrugged it over his shoulders and moved forward slightly.

Something in the air changed as he approached George, placing his own blanket on the floor next to him so he could use both hands to separate the blanket’s corners. The weight of it was instantly grounding and brought back the feeling of wearing Dream’s jacket. Dream’s hands lingered on his shoulders, and he brought his face down in line with George’s ear to ask quietly if he was feeling alright.

“Is this okay? I can get you another one if you need it,” he started, the hushed whispers and gentle tone once again making George’s chest swell with warmth. He decided that he really liked it when Dream’s voice got low enough just for them to hear, soft and genuine. It was something that was meant to be delicate, and George revelled in it. he felt a smile stretch its way across his face. “Here, sit a little closer to the fire.” On his lower back, George felt a large, gentle hand taping him in a suggestion to move forward. He felt another on his shoulder – for what reason he couldn’t pinpoint – and almost had to convince himself to move. The hands followed through as he scooched forward, and only left once he turned around to flash an awkward smile toward the other.

He mumbled a quiet ‘thank you, I’m okay’, then reached for the mug that had been warmed moderately and held it in his hands. He took a sip of it, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat. The increasing warmth was grounding, and he allowed himself to take a look at his friends who were absentmindedly staring into the fire next to him. Sapnap’s shivering had stopped, which was a good sign. The colour was starting to return to his tanned features, and he held his mug close to his face as he sipped at the drink slowly. He seemed to have completely zoned out, staring into the fire with a calm expression. It was almost like the way the flames licked at the wooden chunks gave him a sense of serenity.

George looked down at his own reddened knuckles, noting the shade that he usually associated with his skin colour becoming darker around the joints. He sighed as he adjusted his grip on his mug. Maybe this wasn’t so bad, sitting by the fire with his two closest friends by his side. Sure, they were freezing their balls off, but they were all warming up to each other in a way. Physical affection wasn’t something you could really appreciate from across the world – so when Dream’s soft voice graced his ears just a moment earlier, and when Sapnap handed him a drink that he had made just for him, there was a fuzzy feeling that bubbled its way through his chest.

Sapnap sighed through his nose as he seemed to let the warmth of the fire consume him. The room was calm and serene, both Dream, George and Sap all figuring that the mood didn’t require conversation. It was nice.

And it got even nicer when George realised out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dream scooting closer to him _very slightly_. Just a little bit, and if he weren’t paying attention it could have been mistaken for adjusting the way he was seated on the pillow. He decided to act as if he hadn’t noticed, continuing to face towards the fire in the hopes that he might be able to catch the movement in his peripheral vision. He had to contain a smile when he saw it happen again. He was within arm’s reach now, slowly inching closer at a steady pace. Every couple of minutes he would scoot a little further, acting as if it were nothing. George brought his knees up to his chest and held them in place by clasping his hands around the front of them. He rested his chin on one of his knees in an attempt to hide the beginnings of a smile.

Before he knew it, Dream’s pillow was practically on top of his own and he was _right there_. He was close enough to hear the soft sounds of Dream’s breathing pattern. But he only let himself look for a second, catching the blonde’s eye for a moment. He quickly darted his gaze away, but George just smiled and turned his attention back to the fire. What little part of his attention was actually focussing on the fire was another story, however. Literally all he could think about was the proximity between the two, and how it really wasn’t helping his heart rate to slow down.

And then there was an arm around his shoulder and he almost lost his shit. There was no way he wasn’t imagining this. Maybe the cold had given him hypothermia, and he had died, and this was all a dream? Heaven maybe? He certainly didn’t believe this was real life, because there was no way that the strong, capable hands of his… _best friend_ were encircling him, no. this wasn’t real. But just for good measure he snaked one of his own arms around Dream’s middle. You know, because why not.

When the lights came back on about half an hour later, George didn’t exactly know how to feel. He wanted to stay in that position forever, the calming crackles of the flames soothing any worries he might have for the three of them being snowed inside. But he was glad that they did, because when Dream lifted his arms to get up George was worried that he might have suffered a heart attack.

Both to his dismay and his delight, Dream shot up and cheered for the power returning. Sapnap did the same, which prompted George to also stand and pump the air with his fists. Dream looked absolutely ecstatic, scooping George up in his arms in one smooth motion and pulling him into a hug. He was quite literally swept off his feet as Dream excitedly pulled him into the air, twirling him around and giggling like an idiot in celebration of the power returning. Yeah, he could stay here forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhahahahahahha lazy chap go brrrrr
> 
> like i said updates might be a bit slow because im working on some huuuge shit rn, including school so i dont know how much ill be able to write
> 
> i also got into a swim team!! ik you guys didnt know this but i used to swim competitively and the i dropped it a while, but now after a couple years ive started training again :))
> 
> okay just between you n me being in a swim team is literally humiliating bc im in a squad with people a few years younger than me atm lol. also it kinda sucks bc i feel dysphoric like,,, all the time but thats a whole ass other story. dont mind me venting lmfao sorry i just had to get it out somewhere,,
> 
> this does mean i am busy three days a week after school but im still tryna pump out this fic yanno? you guys mean a lot to me bc youre really making my writing feel validated haha
> 
> thank you for all the attention this fic has gotten so far, it means the world to me <3 /gen 
> 
> sorry it was kinda shitty but also i hope you enjoyed the soft moments i slid in there  
> also what do you guys think about sapnap?? whats he thinkin about in that pretty lil noggin of his???  
> aight im leaving now see you next time lols
> 
> comments, kudos and bookmarks are appreciated!
> 
> Lots of love,  
> peachesandcreamm


	5. [feelings]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george has a lot of feelings hes not exactly ready to come to terms with. Sapnap helps him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey!! heres another chap for you crazy motherfuckers.
> 
> this is the second last chap!! i hope it feels like things are coming to a close lmao. this is the first time ive actually gotten past two chapters dhfhdjfd
> 
> thanks so much for all the support so far. i love reading comments, and the amount of kudos this has is insane to me. so thank you!
> 
> also also also i really love writing Sapnap! hes so fun and i love him omg,, him being a great friend and making people drinks is the best thing ever shhsjsjks
> 
> but yeah happy reading!

It had been three days since the electricity incident. The three have had it pretty easy

the rest of the time, keeping the thermostat nice and warm so they wouldn’t have to feel that bone-chilling cold from before. It sucked. But even though Dream Team were sailing smoothly at the moment, George’s sails were definitely not cooperating. He was on a boat with holes, desperately trying to keep it afloat as he hoped to voyage across the violent seas ahead. The boat’s sails were ripped and tattered, and he was desperately trying to keep them together to make it safely home. But his boat was destined to sink at some point, whether it be now or later. A wave would crash down on him and reduce his boat to splinters and wet fabric.

It’s not an issue of whether the snow was low enough to leave the house, anymore. They had been stuck inside for about five days, and things were just getting too out of hand. The white powder outside had almost settled enough to leave, but the three had agreed that morning that they would wait until night just to be safe. It was more an issue of the uh, _feelings_ that George was having at that point. He wasn’t sure what the fuck happened when the power was out, but he’d been having thoughts all week that he wasn’t sure how to explain. He knew he was supposed to be enjoying the holidays that he had planned with his friends, and even though they were stuck inside temporarily it should still be fun. They were all the type not to back down from being idiots to get entertainment out of it. the only problem was that even though they had been having movie nights, been playing board games, and stupid shit together, George had noticed the uncomfortable nerves that had always settled in his stomach whenever he was in front of the two.

Something told him that he should be ashamed for thinking about Dream nearly all the time. He was supposed to be hanging out with both of his friends, and he loved Sapnap just as much as he loved Dream. They had all been friends for years, so why should this holiday just revolve around Dream? It wasn’t fair to leave Sapnap out like that. He knew that he should be enjoying his and Sap’s time together just as much as he enjoyed being in Dream’s company. But it was harder when he had developed feelings so fast- feelings that he couldn’t exactly go back on because of how complex they had become.

George felt himself glancing down the hall that lead to the kitchen and the stairway. He knew that he was past the point of denying the swirling feeling that Dream left in his stomach. He was past the point of denying the heat that crept up to his cheeks whenever the tall man looked at him. And he was most certainly past the point of denying the daydreams that popped themselves into his mind when he thought of him. But he wasn’t about to admit to anyone but himself, that was for sure. And it didn’t stop him from feeling bad about accepting the feelings he had developed over the week. He had fallen too hard, and now he wasn’t sure how to pick up the shattered pieces off the floor so he could glue them together. Everything Dream had done for him in the past few days just seemed so different. Obviously, it was going to be different than being friends just online, and George knew that from the start. It wasn’t the joke flirting that they usually messed around with, no. It’s the genuine kindness and subtle gestures that meant way more than they should have.

Despite the flutter of warmth he felt whenever he thought of Dream, George still found the angry swirl of guilt taking over his subconscious. He can’t only focus on Dream; it wasn’t fair to Sapnap. He thought of it as if he were in Sap’s place. The thought of being left out, the feeling of being a third wheel – it wasn’t something he wanted. His face scrunched up in disdain, the sour taste of being neglected by his friends fresh on his tongue. This wasn’t something he wanted for Sapnap at all.

Almost as if he had heard Georges thoughts, Sapnap rounded the corner from the hall with two drinks in hand. He had been randomly making hot chocolates and coffees for both of the boys at random times during the week, something that honestly made George’s heart melt. Come on, that’s fucking cute. As cute as it was, he had really bad timing.

George forced himself to act as if he hadn’t just been sorting out the inner workings of his brain, smiling at his friend when he was presented with a hot chocolate. He accepted the drink wordlessly, nodding as a thank you and cradling the mug in his hands. He took a sip and mumbled a quiet ‘hi.’

Sapnap smiled, muttering a ‘hello’ right before he took a quick sip from his coffee. He made himself comfortable on the couch about a metre away from George, shuffling slightly to get on top of the pillows in the ideal position. Even though he would usually enjoy the company, George hoped that Sapnap would leave soon, so he could return to dwelling on his thoughts in private. The last thing he needed right now was-

“So how are you holding up, Georgie?”

Small talk. The last thing he needed right now was small talk. _Please for the love of god leave me alone-_ but it was rude not to respond, especially after he had just been brought a handmade drink out of the goodness of Sapnap’s heart- he owes it to him. He swallowed thickly, focussing his attention on the hot chocolate in front of him as a distraction. He cleared his throat.

“Yeah, good. How about you?” Derailing the conversation was probably the easiest option. He took a small mouthful from his drink, letting it slide down his throat and relishing in the warm feeling it left behind.

“I’m good, I’m good.” Sapnap smiled, letting the pause after his sentence stretch out for just a little too long. The silence was unbearable. He took a long, drawn out gulp from his coffee, lowering the mug with a smirk across his lips. “So George. You’d tell me if anything was going on, right?”

“I- of course. You know I would, Sap.”

“So what’s going on? You’re not acting like yourself lately.”

“I think it might just be the jetlag catching up with me. You know, time zones and sleep schedules and stuff.” He shrugged nonchalantly, feeling his face grow hot in panic. He was really _really_ hoping Sapnap hadn’t drawn any conclusions just yet. “I’m just tired, I don’t think I’ve settled into American time just yet.”

“It’s Dream, isn’t it?” Sapnap prodded gently, continuing to study George with a careful eye.

“I’m sorry?”

“You like him.”

“What-? No, no, that’s-” George almost choked on his hot chocolate. His heart leapt into his throat, the constant beating almost insufferable as he scrambled to cover himself up.

“I’m not stupid, George- I see the way you look at him.” He laughed, placing the mug on his lap to free up both of his hands. He started counting out loud on his fingers. “I mean, we’ve got the endless flirting, the way you looked at him when he came inside a couple days ago, the way you were looking at him as he was talking about the wood- I don’t even want to know what you did when he met you at the airport. Even the time when I showed up and you two were standing outside, you were standing so close to him. And don’t even get me started on the fireplace incident-”

“Plus you guys have a synced sleep schedule. You’re already on American time.” He laughed.

George slumped into the chair, a wash of disappointment rolling over him, crushing the hopes that he might’ve been hiding it better. Clearly, he was wrong to think that his best friend couldn’t pick it out, and if Sapnap had seen it, had Dream? His gut twisted anxiously as he stared down into his hot cocoa. The gentle swirl of the cream on top was probably the best way to describe how his nerves were affecting him at this point. He frowned at it, looking past the mug as he brought it to his face to have a sip. He really thought he might’ve been better at concealing it.

“I won’t say anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. And you know I’m not the type to judge you, either. But just consider this for a second: You’re here for about three and a half more weeks and then your skinny ass goes back to London. You have three weeks to either tell him, or get over it- I’m telling you now, that is going to be one painful flight if you don’t do anything about it.” Sapnap stated coolly, as if he were discussing no more than the weather outside. It was a side of him that George hadn’t seen in a long time.

“I mean, you’re not wrong but-” He wasn’t even allowed to finish his sentence.

“No, no. Don’t give me that shit, George.”

“Wh-? you don’t even know what I was going to say, Sapnap-!” The amount of sheer sass that was coming from Sapnap was beginning to piss him off. He felt himself grip the side of the mug harder, frowning as he realised that his knuckles had gone white.

“Were you going to make up some excuse about why you can’t? Maybe the whole ‘I’m scared he doesn’t love me back’ spiel?” Yeah okay the cockiness was definitely starting to piss George off. But he couldn’t exactly say anything, because Sapnap had hit the nail right on the head. Surely he had some sort of mind reading powers, at this point. George sighed, averting his gaze to the floor once more.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

_Damn, He’s good._

Sapnap’s tone shifted from accusing to something softer, and he let a smile crack across his face once more. George saw his hands move to get a better hold on his coffee mug that was in front of him, and he held it steady to take a sip from it. he paused for a moment in what looked like contemplation, before smiling wider and glancing toward the hallway that lead to the stairs. _Dream must’ve been upstairs_ , George gathered.

“George, you’re my best friend, I want to see you happy.” He started, choosing his words carefully. He took another sip from his mug, the smile never leaving his face as he did so. “And if dealing with Dream for almost half of my life has taught me anything, it’s that from what I can see, he really likes you. He always has.” There was another pause. _Christ, would he stop playing?_ George kept his eyes on the wall mostly, occasionally flicking back to glance at Sapnap. The other held a steady gaze the whole time. “But his feelings aren’t mine to tell. So you should talk to him about it.”

That seemed to be the end of the younger’s love advice for now, and George let himself think for a moment. He made eye contact for a few seconds, before looking back down at his mug, then back up at Sapnap. Maybe he should actually listen to him for once. He sighed audibly, using his free hand to pull the blanket that was draped over his shoulders further over himself. He wasn’t cold, but it was more for his own comfort.

“Okay. Thank you Sapnap.”

Just as promised, later that night all three boys checked on the snow levels, and to their delight it was low enough to actually leave the house. Sure, it was sludgy and probably gross, but there was enough space to actually be able to walk safely outside. Dream was the first out, sprinting into the snow with little care for slipping over. He slid for a moment, using his arms to steady himself, then beckoning his friends over to him. Sapnap was next to follow, grabbing George’s arm and giving it a brief squeeze before walking carefully out into the snow. George followed the two, a smile cracking across his features as he chose his footsteps carefully. He made sure not to slip in the same place that Dream had done earlier.

They all stood in the cold, wearing heavy coats and happy faces. Sapnap was even wearing a scarf. A wicked idea flew through George’s mind and he slowly bent down while nobody was looking at him. He scooped up a handful of the cold, white powder, rolling it into a ball in his hands quickly. He raised it above his head and hurled it at Dream, who had his back turned to him. Sapnap erupted into a fit of laughter, trying to hold it in by placing a hand over his mouth. Dream had become rigid, squaring his shoulders and balling his hands into fists at his side. He turned slowly to face George; a completely flat expression plastered across his face. Then he reached down and scooped up a huge handful of snow, crushing it into a solid ball and hurling it right at George’s stomach. Let the fight begin.

After about ten minutes of hurling snowballs at each other, Dream opened his arms and sighed tiredly in defeat. George made his way over to him, ready to tackle him. But a few steps away, he slipped on some of the half-melted sludge and was sent straight into Dream’s arms. _What a cliché_. He looked upward, immediately regretting it as he had a direct view of that stupid smile. That dumb smile that was slightly wonky. Dream helped him steady himself, still keeping one hand on the brit’s shoulder to make sure he wouldn’t slip again. George found himself once again enraptured in studying Dream’s face, not noticing how his hoodie was somehow getting heavier. The blonde’s face became soft, bringing a hand up to caress the side of George’s face. He thought he might die then and there, only to be snapped back to reality when Dream’s other hand hoisted George’s snow-filled hood over and onto his head. He shrieked rather loudly, cussing at the cold. The cold sent chills down his spine, and he let out a string of curses after quickly flinging off the hood.

Dream laughed like an idiot, running over to tackle Sapnap into the snow as well. And even though the snow had dampened his clothes and frozen his neck, somehow watching his friends made him feel a little warmer. He was going to get Dream back for that later, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it, hha!
> 
> it was definitely very fun to write lmao.
> 
> dont forget i love hearing from you! if you have any constructive criticism id be happy to listen, or any random comments too! i love you kids sm
> 
> comments, kudos and bookmarks are appreciated!
> 
> lots of love,  
> Peachesandcreamm

**Author's Note:**

> [EDIT 18.02.2021]
> 
> i have planned another five chapters! hopefully you guys end up liking this story, aha. hang in there!  
> 


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